Toronto Maple Leafs end four-game skid with 4-3 overtime victory against Edmonton Oilers -NHL Update
Toronto was on the brink of losing their fifth straight match along with their final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference but luckily managed to hold on as Tim Connolly scored the overtime game-winner, lifting Maple Leafs over Edmonton Oilers, 4-3, on
Wednesday night, February 15, 2012, at the sold-out Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
The Maple Leafs were coming out of two extremely embarrassing losses against Montreal Canadiens in a huge, 5-0, shutout and most recently, a 5-1 defeat to Calgary Flames, meaning that Toronto was 10-2 in goals scored during the past two contests.
Joffrey Lupul and Matthew Lombardi gave the low on self-esteem team a major boost as they scored two straight goals in the opening minutes of the first period.
Lupul added the first 40 seconds in while Lombardi potted his seventh of the 2011-2012 National Hockey League (NHL) regular season nearly a minute later at 1:38.
Ben Eager capped off the opening period scoring with Edmonton’s first at the 2:32 mark, leaving the remaining 18 minutes without a single goal.
Mike Brown and Ben Eager were involved in a fight after the three quick goals, giving them each a five-minute major penalty.
Edmonton’s rookie, Taylor Hall, added his 20th of the year nearly midway through the second to put Edmonton right back in the match while Jake Gardiner tried to move Toronto up by one on a power play at the 6:46 mark of the third but Eberle was
right there for his second of the night to level it out yet again with less than five minutes to go.
Tim Connolly continued the tradition of Toronto scoring first with his decisive shot 1:39 into overtime, giving the Maple Leafs a victory they really had to work for.
Toronto Maple Leafs have the next against Vancouver Canucks on the road before returning home for the next four straight.
Edmonton Oilers still have a lot of ground to cover with the playoffs closing in as they sit at number 14 in the Western Conference with 50 points. They have their next against Colorado Avalanche at home on Friday.
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